Rivers United technical adviser Finidi George has expressed confidence that his side can complete the job against FC San Pedro and advance to the next round of the CAF Champions League after securing a valuable 1–1 draw in the first leg in Côte d’Ivoire.
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The Nigerian champions came from behind at the Laurent Pokou Stadium, with substitute Iyowuna Douglas cancelling out Issouf Dosso’s opener in the 69th minute to hand the Pride of Rivers an important away result.
San Pedro had taken the lead early in the second half after Dosso capitalised on an opening in the Rivers United defence, but Finidi’s decision to introduce Douglas paid off as the substitute restored parity and ensured the Nigerian side avoided defeat.
Finidi was pleased with the result, revealing that avoiding defeat had been one of Rivers United’s main objectives going into the encounter.
“I said it yesterday that we wanted to have a good game and not lose here. It could have been 0-0 or 1-1, and the game ended 1-1. So, not losing here is not a bad result. It’s good.”
The former Super Eagles head coach admitted that the match was difficult but said the encounter allowed his technical crew to assess San Pedro more closely and understand what to expect when both teams meet again.
“We tried to see what they were doing and assess their capacity. Like I said, the game was balanced. But we knew they were a very good team, a young team full of energy, so we knew it was going to be a difficult game.”
Finidi believes the return fixture will be a completely different contest, with Rivers United now having home advantage and a better understanding of their opponents.
“In Nigeria, it is going to be a different ball game. We are going to approach the game differently.”
The Rivers United coach went a step further in assessing the balance of the tie, backing his team to have the upper hand when San Pedro travel to Nigeria.
“I would say it is going to be 60-40 in our favour in Nigeria.”
The second leg is scheduled for Sunday, September 13, at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo, where Rivers United will need to win to secure their passage to the next preliminary round.
For Rivers United, the comeback in Abidjan has provided an important psychological boost. After falling behind, Finidi’s men showed character to recover, while Douglas’ equaliser means the Nigerian side return home with the tie level and qualification still firmly within reach.
Rivers United will now have to turn that advantage into a decisive result in Uyo, with the winner of the tie set to face either Uganda’s Vipers SC or Mauritania’s FC Nouadhibou in the second preliminary round.
One goal conceded. One goal recovered. One final battle awaits in Uyo.
For Finidi George and the Pride of Rivers, the message is simple: the real job starts now.
